Shell & tube heat exchanger diagram

Different types of heat transfer equipment is widely used in the process industry to heat up or cool down process fluids. Out of all different types, shell and tube heat exchangers are quite popular and widely used for a variety of applications. Let's look at a typical shell & tube heat exchanger diagram to understand its structure.

Shell & tube heat exchangers

This type of heat exchangers consists of metal tubes passing through another metal enclosure, which is referred to as the 'shell'. So typically we have a fluid on shell side and anther fluid on the tube side. Heat transfer between the two fluids occurs across the tube walls.

There are many subtypes of shell and tube exchangers created by different configurations of the shell and tube arrangement. This versatility is one of the reasons why shell and tube exchangers are so popular among process design engineers.

Shell & tube heat exchanger diagram as per TEMA standards

Following diagram is the structure of a TEMA style shell and tube heat exchanger. The diagram itself is based on the TEMA standards.

This diagrams illustrates all the important parts in the construction of a shell & tube heat exchanger, as per the TEMA standards. It also gives you the exact correct nomenclature for each of those parts. For further details you can refer to the relevant TEMA guidelines.